Fremont police release name of officer who fatally shot suspect

Fremont police Wednesday released the name of an officer who fatally shot a suspect on Sunday afternoon.

Police had released only limited information before today on the shooting that killed 45-year-old Fremont resident Nana Adomako, but have now released a detailed description of an incident that began with a 911 call at 4:02 p.m. from a business in the 39000 block of Argonaut Way.

An employee at the business said a man came into the store, “attacked” employees and was rude to customers. When the employee asked the man to leave, he took the employee’s cellphone, hit him and threatened to kill him, according to police.

The suspect, later identified as Adomako, was last seen walking on Argonaut Way toward Mowry Avenue. Officer James Taylor and his police canine were nearby and at 4:10 p.m. spotted someone in the area matching the suspect description, police said.

Taylor got out of his patrol car and asked Adomako, who he recognized from three prior non-violent contacts, to sit on the curb, police said.

Adomako asked why he was being stopped and allegedly talked about being the “King of Fremont” and the “chief of police” and refused to sit on the curb, according to police.

Taylor, who police said is an eight-year veteran of the department and has crisis intervention and defensive tactics training, then tried to put Adomako in a control hold but he pulled away.

Adomako had on a jacket and the officer determined his Taser stun gun would be ineffective on Adomako and his bulky clothing so he didn’t fire it, police said.

While a struggle ensued between the pair, Taylor pushed the door release button on his duty belt, freeing the police canine from the patrol car. However, the dog came up and mistakenly bit the officer, according to police.

Adomako then allegedly punched Taylor on the left side of his head, and a witness told investigators they heard the impact of the punch to the officer’s head, police said.

Fearing for his life, Taylor fired three shots from close range, striking Adomako and causing him to fall to the ground. A second officer, Grant Goepp, pulled up to the scene just as the shooting occurred and helped handcuff Adomako, police said.

The officers called for an ambulance but Adomako was pronounced dead at 4:22 p.m.

Taylor was taken to the Police Department and then to a hospital where he was treated for a mild concussion, a contusion on the left side of his face, a broken finger, scratches and abrasions and a dog bite, police said.

He was released from the hospital on Sunday night and has been placed on paid administrative leave, according to police.

Investigators have interviewed several witnesses in the case and both patrol cars at the scene were equipped with in-car video, with Taylor’s in-car camera capturing the majority of the incident although without audio, police said.

The case remains under investigation by Fremont police and a separate investigation is being conducted by the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office.

Anyone with information about the case is encouraged to contact Fremont police at (510) 790-6900 or to email Detective Gaches at cgaches@fremont.gov.